1860 United States census

Eighth US census

1860 United States census

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| <- 1850 | June 1, 1860 (1860-06-01) | 1870 ->

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1860 U.S. census from the state of New York

General information
Country| United States
Authority| Census Office
Results
Total population| 31,443,321[1] ( 35.6%)
Most populous ​state| New York
3,880,735
Least populous ​state| Oregon
52,465

The 1860 United States census was the eighth census conducted in the United States starting June 1, 1860, and lasting five months. It determined the population of the United States to be 31,443,321[1] in 33 states and 10 organized territories. This was an increase of 35.6 percent[1] over the 23,191,876[2] persons enumerated during the 1850 census. The total population included 3,953,760[3] slaves.

By the time the 1860 census returns were ready for tabulation, the nation was sinking into the American Civil War. As a result, Census Superintendent Joseph C. G. Kennedy and his staff produced only an abbreviated set of public reports, without graphic or cartographic representations. The statistics did allow the census staff to produce a cartographic display, including preparing maps of Southern states, for Union field commanders. These maps displayed militarily vital topics, including the white population, slave population, predominant agricultural products (by county), and rail and post road transportation routes.

This census saw Philadelphia regain its position as a second-most populous American city, which it had lost to Baltimore in 1820, due to the Act of Consolidation, 1854 merging many smaller surrounding townships, such as Spring Garden, Northern Liberties, and Kensington, into the main city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia would lose the second-most populous American city position to Chicago in 1890.

## Census questions

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The 1860 census Schedule 1 (Free Inhabitants) was one of two schedules that counted the population of the United States; the other was Schedule 2 (Slave Inhabitants).

Schedule 1 collected the following information:[4]

Column  | Title  | Notes

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1 | Dwelling-houses – numbered in the order of visitation. |
2 | Families numbered in the order of visitation |
3 | The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June 1860, was in this family. |
4 | Description: Age. |
5 | Description: Sex. | M or F
6 | Description: Color, (White, black, or mulatto). | W, B or M
7 | Profession, Occupation, or Trade of each person, male and female, over 15 years of age. |
8 | Value of Estate Owned: Value of Real Estate. |
9 | Value of Estate Owned: Value of Personal Estate. |
10 | Place of Birth, Naming the State, Territory, or Country. |
11 | Married within the year. | Marked with '/'
12 | Attended School within the year. | Marked with '/'
13 | Persons over 20 years of age who can not read and write. | Marked with '/'
14 | Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict. |

Schedule 2 (Slave Inhabitants) collected the following information:[5]

Column  | Title  | Notes

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1 | Name of slave owner |
2 | Number of slaves |
3 | Age |
4 | Sex |
5 | Color |
6 | Fugitive from the state | Marked with '/'
7 | Number Manumitted |
8 | Deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic |
9 | Number of slave houses |

## Data availability

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Full documentation for the 1860 population census, including microdata, census forms and enumerator instructions, is available from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS). Aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System.

## Common occupations

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National data reveals that farmers (owners and tenants) made up nearly 10% of utilized occupations. Farm laborers (wage workers) represent the next highest percent with 3.2%, followed by general laborers at 3.0%.[6]

More localized data shows that other occupations were common. In the town of Essex, Massachusetts, a large section of the women in the labor force were devoted to shoe-binding, while for men the common occupations were farming and shoe-making.[7] This heavy demand of shoe-related labor reinforces the high demand for rigorous physical laborers in the economy, as supported by the data of very large amounts of farm related work as compared to most other labor options.

IPUMS' data also notes that the share of the population that had been enrolled in school or marked as "Student" stood at 0.2%. This demonstrates a small rate of growth, if any, in the proficiency of the human capital of the time—the skill set a worker has to apply to the labor force, which can increase total output through increased efficiency.

The census of 1860 was the last in which much of Southern wealth was held as slaves—still legally considered property.

## Population of U.S. states and territories

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Population of the US States and Territories[8][9][10][11] Rank | State | Free Population | Slave Population | Population | Percentage Enslaved

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01 | New York | 3,880,735 | 0 | 3,880,735 | 0
02 | Pennsylvania | 2,906,215 | 0 | 2,906,215 | 0
03 | Ohio | 2,339,511 | 0 | 2,339,511 | 0
04 | Illinois | 1,711,951 | 0 | 1,711,951 | 0
05 | Virginia | 1,105,453 | 490,865 | 1,596,318 | 30.7
06 | Indiana | 1,350,428 | 0 | 1,350,428 | 0
07 | Massachusetts | 1,231,066 | 0 | 1,231,066 | 0
08 | Missouri | 1,067,081 | 114,931 | 1,182,012 | 9.7
09 | Kentucky | 930,201 | 225,483 | 1,155,684 | 19.5
10 | Tennessee | 834,082 | 275,719 | 1,109,801 | 24.8
11 | Georgia | 595,088 | 462,198 | 1,057,286 | 43.7
12 | North Carolina | 661,563 | 331,059 | 992,622 | 33.4
13 | Alabama | 529,121 | 435,080 | 964,201 | 45.1
14 | Mississippi | 354,674 | 436,631 | 791,305 | 55.2
15 | Wisconsin | 775,881 | 0 | 775,881 | 0
16 | Michigan | 749,113 | 0 | 749,113 | 0
17 | Louisiana | 376,276 | 331,726 | 708,002 | 46.9
18 | South Carolina | 301,302 | 402,406 | 703,708 | 57.2
19 | Maryland | 599,860 | 87,189 | 687,049 | 12.7
20 | Iowa | 674,913 | 0 | 674,913 | 0
21 | New Jersey | 672,017 | 18 | 672,035 | 0.01
22 | Maine | 628,279 | 0 | 628,279 | 0
23 | Texas | 421,649 | 182,566 | 604,215 | 30.2
24 | Connecticut | 460,147 | 0 | 460,147 | 0
25 | Arkansas | 324,335 | 111,115 | 435,450 | 25.5
26 | California | 379,994 | 0 | 379,994 | 0
27 | New Hampshire | 326,073 | 0 | 326,073 | 0
28 | Vermont | 315,098 | 0 | 315,098 | 0
29 | Rhode Island | 174,620 | 0 | 174,620 | 0
30 | Minnesota | 172,023 | 0 | 172,023 | 0
31 | Florida | 78,679 | 61,745 | 140,424 | 44.0
32 | Delaware | 110,418 | 1,798 | 112,216 | 1.6
33 | Oregon | 52,465 | 0 | 52,465 | 0
X | Kansas Territory[12] | 107,204 | 2 | 107,206 | 0.01
X | New Mexico Territory | 93,516 | 0 | 93,516 | 0
X | District of Columbia | 71,985 | 3,185 | 75,080 | 4.4
X | Utah Territory | 40,184 | 29 | 40,273 | 0.07
X | Colorado Territory | 34,277 | 0 | 34,277 | 0
X | Nebraska Territory | 28,826 | 15 | 28,841 | 0.01
X | Washington Territory | 11,594 | 0 | 11,594 | 0
X | Nevada Territory | 6,857 | 0 | 6,857 | 0
X | Dakota Territory | 4,837 | 0 | 4,837 | 0

## City rankings

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Rank | City | State | Population[13] | Region (2016)[14]

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01 | New York | New York | 813,669 | Northeast
02 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 565,529 | Northeast
03 | Brooklyn | New York | 266,661 | Northeast
04 | Baltimore | Maryland | 212,418 | South
05 | Boston | Massachusetts | 177,840 | Northeast
06 | New Orleans | Louisiana | 168,675 | South
07 | Cincinnati | Ohio | 161,044 | Midwest
08 | St. Louis | Missouri | 160,773 | Midwest
09 | Chicago | Illinois | 112,172 | Midwest
10 | Buffalo | New York | 81,129 | Northeast
11 | Newark | New Jersey | 71,941 | Northeast
12 | Louisville | Kentucky | 68,033 | South
13 | Albany | New York | 62,367 | Northeast
14 | Washington | District of Columbia | 61,122 | South
15 | San Francisco | California | 56,802 | West
16 | Providence | Rhode Island | 50,666 | Northeast
17 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 49,221 | Northeast
18 | Rochester | New York | 48,204 | Northeast
19 | Detroit | Michigan | 45,619 | Midwest
20 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 45,246 | Midwest
21 | Cleveland | Ohio | 43,417 | Midwest
22 | Charleston | South Carolina | 40,522 | South
23 | New Haven | Connecticut | 39,267 | Northeast
24 | Troy | New York | 39,235 | Northeast
25 | Richmond | Virginia | 37,910 | South
26 | Lowell | Massachusetts | 36,827 | Northeast
27 | Mobile | Alabama | 29,258 | South
28 | Jersey City | New Jersey | 29,226 | Northeast
29 | Hartford | Connecticut | 29,152 | Northeast
30 | Allegheny | Pennsylvania | 28,702 | Northeast
31 | Syracuse | New York | 28,119 | Northeast
32 | Portland | Maine | 26,341 | Northeast
33 | Cambridge | Massachusetts | 26,060 | Northeast
34 | Roxbury | Massachusetts | 25,137 | Northeast
35 | Charlestown | Massachusetts | 25,065 | Northeast
36 | Worcester | Massachusetts | 24,960 | Northeast
37 | Reading | Pennsylvania | 23,162 | Northeast
38 | Memphis | Tennessee | 22,623 | South
39 | Utica | New York | 22,529 | Northeast
40 | New Bedford | Massachusetts | 22,300 | Northeast
41 | Savannah | Georgia | 22,292 | South
42 | Salem | Massachusetts | 22,252 | Northeast
43 | Wilmington | Delaware | 21,258 | South
44 | Manchester | New Hampshire | 20,107 | Northeast
45 | Dayton | Ohio | 20,081 | Midwest
46 | Paterson | New Jersey | 19,586 | Northeast
47 | Lynn | Massachusetts | 19,083 | Northeast
48 | Indianapolis | Indiana | 18,611 | Midwest
49 | Columbus | Ohio | 18,554 | Midwest
50 | Petersburg | Virginia | 18,266 | South
51 | Lawrence | Massachusetts | 17,639 | Northeast
52 | Lancaster | Pennsylvania | 17,603 | Northeast
53 | Trenton | New Jersey | 17,228 | Northeast
54 | Nashville | Tennessee | 16,988 | South
55 | Oswego | New York | 16,816 | Northeast
56 | Kingston | New York | 16,640 | Northeast
57 | Covington | Kentucky | 16,471 | South
58 | Bangor | Maine | 16,407 | Northeast
59 | Taunton | Massachusetts | 15,376 | Northeast
60 | Springfield | Massachusetts | 15,199 | Northeast
61 | Poughkeepsie | New York | 14,726 | Northeast
62 | Norfolk | Virginia | 14,620 | South
63 | Camden | New Jersey | 14,358 | Northeast
64 | Wheeling | Virginia | 14,083 | South
65 | Norwich | Connecticut | 14,048 | Northeast
66 | Peoria | Illinois | 14,045 | Midwest
67 | Fall River | Massachusetts | 14,026 | Northeast
68 | Sacramento | California | 13,785 | West
69 | Toledo | Ohio | 13,768 | Midwest
70 | Newtown | New York | 13,725 | Northeast
71 | Quincy | Illinois | 13,718 | Midwest
72 | Harrisburg | Pennsylvania | 13,405 | Northeast
73 | Newburyport | Massachusetts | 13,401 | Northeast
74 | Chelsea | Massachusetts | 13,395 | Northeast
75 | Bridgeport | Connecticut | 13,299 | Northeast
76 | Smithfield | Rhode Island | 13,283 | Northeast
77 | Dubuque | Iowa | 13,000 | Midwest
78 | Alexandria | Virginia | 12,652 | South
79 | New Albany | Indiana | 12,647 | Midwest
80 | Newburgh | New York | 12,578 | Northeast
81 | Augusta | Georgia | 12,493 | South
82 | Hempstead | New York | 12,376 | Northeast
83 | Yonkers | New York | 11,848 | Northeast
84 | North Providence | Rhode Island | 11,818 | Northeast
85 | Elizabeth | New Jersey | 11,567 | Northeast
86 | Evansville | Indiana | 11,484 | Midwest
87 | Davenport | Iowa | 11,267 | Midwest
88 | New Brunswick | New Jersey | 11,256 | Northeast
89 | Auburn | New York | 10,986 | Northeast
90 | Gloucester | Massachusetts | 10,904 | Northeast
91 | Concord | New Hampshire | 10,896 | Northeast
92 | Lockport | New York | 10,871 | Northeast
93 | Newport | Rhode Island | 10,508 | Northeast
94 | Saint Paul | Minnesota | 10,401 | Midwest
95 | Flushing | New York | 10,188 | Northeast
96 | New London | Connecticut | 10,115 | Northeast
97 | Cortlandt | New York | 10,074 | Northeast
98 | Nashua | New Hampshire | 10,065 | Northeast
99 | Newport | Kentucky | 10,046 | South
100 | Waterbury | Connecticut | 10,004 | Northeast

## See also

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* American Civil War
* Cotton gin
* Human capital
* Joseph C. G. Kennedy, census supervisor

## Notes

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1. ^ a b c "1860 Fast Facts". U.S. Census Bureau. December 14, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
2. ^ "1850 Fast Facts". U.S. Census Bureau. December 14, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
3. ^ "Recapitulation of the Tables of Population, Nativity, and Occupation" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
4. ^ "1860 Census Questionnaire" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
5. ^ "1860 Census Records - What Questions did the census ask?". US Census Bureau. September 13, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
6. ^ "IPUMS 1860 Census Data". IPUMS Data Collection. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
7. ^ Wilhelm, Kurt. "Essex, MA Census 1860". 1860 Federal Census. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
8. ^ Data tabulated by "1860 Census Results". The Civil War Home Page. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
9. ^ Population figures checked against "1860 Census: Population of the United States". Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. December 20, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
10. ^ "1860 Census: Population of the United States". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
11. ^ For territories see Jos. C. G. Kennedy, Preliminary Report of the Eighth Census, 1860 (1862) pp 259, 291–294.
12. ^ Kansas is admitted as a state in 1861, prior to the publication of the 1860 Census in 1864, and therefore listed as a state not a territory in the 1860 Census.
13. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
14. ^ "Regions and Divisions". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1860 United States Census.

* Library of Congress research guide for 1860 census \- links to primary documents
* "1860 Census: Population of the United States". US Census Bureau.
* Population of the United States in 1860; compiled from the original returns of the eighth census under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior by Joseph C.G. Kennedy
* U.S. Federal Cens us Mortality Schedules 1850–1880
* Adam Goodheart: "The Census of Doom", NY Times

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